


Finally

by Loser_Lover_89



Series: Reddie Live Happily Ever After [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Ben Hanscom Loves Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh Loves Ben Hanscom, Canon Rewrite, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Fix-It, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Good Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Idiots in Love, M/M, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24606115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loser_Lover_89/pseuds/Loser_Lover_89
Summary: After defeating Pennywise, Richie and Eddie finally talk
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough & Mike Hanlon & Ben Hanscom & Eddie Kaspbrak & Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: Reddie Live Happily Ever After [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783684
Comments: 4
Kudos: 74





	Finally

**Author's Note:**

> I've been away for a while, I needed some time to figure myself out.  
> I hope you all enjoy this fic, I'm actually proud of this one.

They had survived.

It was still amazing to Eddie that it was over. It was dead, completely gone, and they could all finally go on with their lives. Not that he wanted to.

Thanks to that stupid clown and whatever curse it had cast on this godforsaken town, they had all forgotten everything. Richie was telling other people’s jokes, Bill couldn’t write a good ending to save his life, Bev had married an abusive asshole, Ben – well he wasn’t doing bad at all really aside from pining after the girl he’d loved his whole life. And Eddie…well, Eddie had married a carbon copy of his mother. Right down to the awful nickname (Eddie-Bear) and the obsession with convincing him he was sick.

Of course, Eddie wasn’t sick. Not even asthma. He never had been, and he finally remembered. Much like he had remembered another part of himself – the reason he had never felt an attraction to his wife, or to any woman. He was gay. And the person who made him realise it – Richie fucking Tozier.

He knew as soon as he saw Richie standing next to that stupid gong at the Jade. Everything came flooding back to him, like a wave hitting the shore. The feelings, the looks, the gentle touches. Richie had been his gay awakening, now twice. Of all the people he could have fallen for, why did it have to be him?

Richie was loud and brash. He barely ever thought before opening his mouth and he usually said the wrong thing at the wrong time. His glasses made him look like a complete dork and those Hawaiian shirts didn’t belong anywhere except on a fire. He was everything Eddie wasn’t – of course Eddie was in love with him.

Richie made him brave. Brave enough to jump into the quarry, to follow Richie and Bill into Neibolt, to stand up to his mother, to choke the leper and to stand up to that fucking clown once and for all. Not to mention how he had pulled a knife from his own face and stabbed the psychotic bully from his childhood. Now Eddie was going to be brave and live the life he always should have been living.

When they got back to the townhouse, mostly dried off from the sun, Eddie still felt dirty. It was like he could feel the germs on his body from the sewers and the water at the quarry. Mike had gone to help the police with their enquiries about Bowers – hopefully it could all be sorted without Richie facing any charges. Bill had gone to get some sleep; the day had affected him a lot in many ways. Ben and Bev were sitting in the bar together. Eddie knew they had a lot to discuss, especially after that kiss at the quarry. Frankly, it was about time. Richie had already gone up to his room, probably packing to get the hell away as quickly as possible. Eddie, meanwhile, just wanted to shower properly.

He walked into his room, now noticing the broken lock on the door. He hadn’t seen it earlier because he had been in such a hurry to get the leper vomit off his face and to change his clothes. He went to get some clean clothes and his wash bag from his suitcase before going towards the bathroom. He stopped. The shower curtain was still gone, his blood all over the floor and the bathtub. He couldn’t get clean in here; he couldn’t even look at it.

He took a deep breath and went across the hall, knocking on the door. He hoped he wasn’t intruding. He looked up when Richie opened the door.

“Well, well, Eddie Spaghetti…what brings you to my room? Missing me already?” he grinned. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Not my name, asshole. Look, I know you probably want to leave but can I use your shower? Mine is…it’s not somewhere I want to be right now.” Richie nodded.

“I get it…come on in.” he stepped back to let Eddie in. Eddie went inside, noting that all their rooms looked eerily similar. Richie pointed towards the bathroom.

“Thanks Richie.” Eddie said quietly, taking his things into the bathroom. He closed the door behind him. 

He was standing in the shower washing his hair when the thought hit him – he was in Richie Tozier’s bathroom. Richie had stood here too, possibly recently and definitely naked. He shook his head and told himself to pull it together.

Little did he know, Richie was having his own moment of internal panic. Eddie Kaspbrak was in his bathroom. Eddie, Eds, his best friend and the guy he’d been in love with all his life was currently standing in his shower, naked. Well, he assumed he was naked. It was Eddie, he probably had some thing against hotel showers. He sat down on the bed and tried to think of anything else.

A little while later, Eddie emerged from the bathroom. He had his jeans on and was pulling a t-shirt over his head as he came out. Richie’s jaw dropped a little as he glimpsed a tattoo. No dice. Holy shit, little Eddie Kaspbrak had a tattoo! Eddie pulled his t-shirt down and looked at Richie.

“What? What are you staring at?” he asked. Richie looked up at him.

“No dice?” he said, smiling.

“It was a dare when I started college. Shut up.” He said, smiling a little. He caught Richie’s gaze and blushed. He hadn’t seen Richie look at him like that before.

“Stop it.”

“Stop what?”

“That. Whatever that is, stop it.” He said, gesturing towards Richie’s eyes. Richie looked away quickly and rubbed his neck.

“Sorry…”

“I should go, you probably want to get out of here…thanks for letting me use the shower.”

“No, wait. Eds – have a drink with me. Please.” Eddie nodded and went to sit on the bed, as Richie went to pull a half-drunk bottle of bourbon from the drawer and fetched two glasses.

“You just had that shit here?”

“I brought it up here that first night back. Never finished it.” He poured two measures and passed one to Eddie, moving to sit beside him. They clinked their glasses together before taking a drink, both looking at the floor. After a minute, they both spoke at the same time.

“I’m gay.”  
“I’m getting a divorce.”

They both looked at each other in shock. Richie spoke first.

“You’re getting a divorce? Eds, that’s huge. Are you sure?” Eddie nodded.

“I called her before I came upstairs. She’s pretty mad but it’s the right thing. She can’t love me properly and I can’t be who she needs me to be. Partly because I’m gay too.” He said quietly, not looking at Richie.

“You…y-you are too? When? Um…how did you…”

“How did I know? I think on some level I always knew, I just tried to push it down. Then, when I got my memories back, I remembered being completely head over heels for someone…a guy. Turns out I still like him, maybe even love him.” Richie nodded slowly.

“Well, he’s a lucky guy whoever he is. I hope he feels the same.”

Eddie sighed a little and threw the rest of his drink back. He set the glass down and, before he could change his mind, he turned Richie to face him and kissed him. Eddie could feel his heart pounding, it was so loud he was almost sure Richie could hear it. After a second, he pulled away. The kiss was brief, as expected. What Eddie wasn’t expecting was for Richie to cup his jaw and pull him back in, kissing him as though he was the oxygen Richie needed to survive. Eddie kissed him back, a small gasp of surprise slipping out. After a while they separated, both slightly flushed and breathless.

“Me?” Richie asked quietly.

“Yeah…since we were like 13.”

“Eds…wasn’t that when we –“

“Faced it the first time, yeah. I started feeling different that summer, specifically towards you. After a few weeks, I realised I didn’t just like you as a friend anymore. It was more than that.”

“I thought it was just me.” Eddie looked at Richie, a slight frown on his face. Richie took a breath. “I started feeling differently the year before. You started wearing those little shorts when it was hot and it was like I couldn’t focus on anything else. I talked to my mom and she asked if there were any girls I felt like that about. When I said no, she just hugged me and said it was ok. That’s when I knew.” Eddie smiled a little.

“So that’s why Maggie always had that look on her face when I came over.” Richie nodded.

“Yeah, she sort of had this idea that we would get together. Dad too – she told him. I think they were pretty disappointed when you moved away and I still hadn’t told you how I felt. Then that stupid curse kicked in and, once I left, I didn’t remember any of it. I knew I was missing someone but I didn’t know who.”

“I was the same. As soon as I got to college and got settled, I felt like I was forgetting something. That I was supposed to call someone but I didn’t know who. I still had thoughts about guys but I brushed it off and figured everyone was like that. I guess that’s why I married Myra in the first place – to try to prove I wasn’t like that.” Richie smiled.

“I had the opposite approach. I knew I was gay but I figured if I came out it would hurt my career. So, instead, my manager found a woman who knew the situation and agreed to act like my girlfriend in public – awards shows, lunches, launch parties. Then, in secret, I was hooking up with guys who all kind of looked the same. Short, brown hair, dark eyes, kind of feisty. It’s like I was looking for you the whole time.” Eddie nudged him and smiled.

“I’m average height, asshole.” Richie grinned and leaned in to kiss him again. Eddie responded instantly, his hand sliding up to curl his fingers into Richie’s hair. Eddie pulled away slowly and rested his forehead against Richie’s.

“I really want this but I can’t yet. Not while I’m legally married, that’s not who I am.” Richie nodded.

“I get it, I can wait. I waited 27 years, what’s a little more time?” Eddie smiled.

“Can I stay here though? Just because we’re not doing anything doesn’t mean we can’t share a bed.”

“I’d like that.”

Richie moved to place their empty glasses and the bottle on the dresser, before going to lay in the bed. Eddie laid down beside him and curled into Richie’s side, as if he’d been doing this for years. Richie wrapped an arm around him and kissed his head.

“Night Eds.”

“Not my name. Night Rich.”

~

Eddie woke up the next morning alone in Richie’s bed. He started to worry that he had made it up but he hadn’t drank anything really. He got up and made his way downstairs, spotting Richie in the kitchen. He smelled coffee and went over to him.

“Hey.”

“Hey Eds, coffee?” Eddie nodded and Richie pushed a cup towards him. “Sorry, I’m not used to having the guy stick around in the morning.”

“So last night did happen? I’m not imagining things.”

“If you are, then I am too.” Richie smiled and moved forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. Without thinking Eddie moved forward and wrapped his arms around Richie’s neck, kissing him back. Richie moved his hands to Eddie’s waist and held him close, slowly sliding his tongue over Eddie’s bottom lip. Eddie gasped softly and let Richie deepen the kiss. After a couple of minutes they broke apart, lips slightly swollen.

“It’s about time.”

Richie and Eddie both turned their heads to see Ben, Bev, Bill and Mike all standing in the doorway. Bev held up a couple of bags.

“We went to get breakfast but it looks like you two are just fine.” Eddie blushed. “It’s good, really good. We’ve been waiting for this to happen, we all remember the tension from when we were kids. You two were almost unbearable.”

“You’re one to talk, Ringwald. We all saw you and Ben kissing yesterday.” Bev tossed a balled up napkin at him and they all went to eat together before going to pack their stuff.

Eddie finished up quickly, disposing of the pills he now knew he didn’t need. He went to Richie’s room and knocked on the open door.

“Hey there, handsome. Can I help you?” Richie smiled.

“Can I come back with you?”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No. I know I have to go back to sort out the details of the divorce and get the rest of my stuff, but I wanted to know if I could stay with you. New York isn’t really for me, especially since you’re not there.” Richie smiled and nodded.

“Yes. I have a spare room, not that I anticipate you’ll need it but the offer of me being a gentleman is there.”

“Now there’s a first.”

“I mean it. I’m not going to rush you into anything but I’d love to have you there.” Eddie smiled and nodded towards the door.

“Let’s go.”

They made their way downstairs and lingered outside to say their goodbyes. They hugged, promised to keep in touch and even to meet up soon. Of course, in Richie’s case, there was an inappropriate joke or two which they all laughed at. Finally, they all made their way to the airport.

Their lives could start over, just how they were meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated.
> 
> Also, if anyone wants another chapter or has any prompts they would like to suggest please leave the requests in the comments


End file.
